As generative AI becomes an integral part of higher education, community colleges stand at a critical juncture. While AI tools, such as ChatGPT and others, have the potential to transform teaching and learning by offering personalized educational experiences, their integration has further exposed a deep-rooted digital divide. This divide doesn’t only concern access to technology but also the varying levels of digital literacy and engagement among students.
Community college faculty members play a vital role in narrowing this gap, ensuring that all students — regardless of their initial level of exposure to AI — are empowered to succeed. Below we explores how faculty can strategically support three types of learners: those who use AI effectively, those who use it ineffectively, and those who do not use it at all, fostering an equitable and inclusive learning environment.
This article comes from the ITC AI Affinity Group, a panel formed by the Instructional Technology Council to share best practices for distance education instruction and AI. ITC an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges.
1. Proficient AI users: Fostering deeper learning and critical engagement
Some community college students have already mastered the art of using generative AI tools responsibly. These students utilize AI to enhance their learning, employing tools to write essays, brainstorm ideas or practice problem-solving across various subjects. They understand the limitations of AI, cross-checking AI-generated content for biases or inaccuracies, and using AI as a learning aid rather than a substitute for critical thinking.
How faculty can support proficient users:
For these digitally literate students, the role of faculty is to deepen their engagement with AI and expand their horizons in using it thoughtfully. Here are some strategies faculty can adopt:
- Encouraging advanced AI integration: Faculty can challenge students to push the boundaries of how they use AI. For instance, instead of using AI to generate essay outlines, they can explore how AI can assist in refining research methodologies, generating creative hypotheses or even coding solutions for technical assignments. Faculty can design assignments that encourage critical engagement with AI, such as prompting students to analyze AI-generated content for biases or limitations, and then revise and improve upon it.
- Promoting ethical use: Although these students already understand AI’s role, faculty should continue emphasizing ethical use. Assignments can integrate discussions on the broader societal impact of AI, encouraging students to reflect on how AI tools might reinforce biases or inequalities. Faculty can also create opportunities for students to present on AI-related ethical issues in class discussions or projects.
- Providing access to high-quality tools: Effective AI users often face financial barriers to accessing premium AI tools. Faculty can advocate for institutional licenses for advanced AI platforms, ensuring students have equitable access to the most useful tools. Additionally, providing workshops or sharing tips on how students can maximize free AI resources would ensure that their learning is not constrained by cost barriers.
By fostering an environment of curiosity and critical engagement, faculty can help these students move from using AI as a mere tool to a transformative educational resource.
2. Developing AI users: Cultivating digital literacy and responsible AI use
Many community college students are still learning how to use AI tools effectively. Some may depend heavily on AI-generated content without critically evaluating its accuracy or limitations. Others might be unfamiliar with best practices for responsible AI use, including ethical considerations and the risks of unintentional plagiarism or academic dishonesty. As they navigate these challenges, they miss opportunities to harness the full potential of AI as a tool for enhancing their learning experience.
How faculty can support developing AI users:
To help these students transition from developing to proficient users of AI, faculty must take a proactive approach. The following methods can guide this transformation:
- Embedding AI literacy in the curriculum: Faculty can design curricula that explicitly teach students how to use AI tools in meaningful ways. This could include lessons on effective prompting, evaluating AI outputs and integrating AI tools into the research process. Workshops or short tutorials integrated into courses could teach students how to fact-check AI-generated content and use it as a foundation for deeper research and critical analysis.
- Modeling responsible AI use: Faculty can set examples of how to properly use AI in their own teaching practices. Demonstrating the process of using AI to generate ideas, followed by critical evaluation and refinement, can give students a blueprint for how they should engage with AI. For instance, faculty can present AI-generated content in class and ask students to identify areas where the AI might have gone wrong, prompting discussions about the role of human oversight.
- Creating AI-specific learning outcomes: Assignments that ask students to critically engage with AI-generated content — such as revising an AI-generated essay for clarity, accuracy or ethical considerations — can cultivate deeper understanding. Providing feedback that focuses on how students can better integrate AI into their own learning process can shift reliance on AI into responsible and ethical use.
By integrating these strategies, faculty can turn developing AI use into an opportunity for growth, helping students develop essential digital literacy skills that will serve them well both in and beyond their academic careers.
3. Non-users of AI: Addressing barriers and honoring choices
Some students choose not to engage with AI for various reasons, each deserving thoughtful consideration. For some, AI feels like cheating, conflicting with their sense of academic integrity. Others may have ethical concerns about AI, such as its potential to reinforce biases or threaten privacy, leading them to opt out. Additionally, many students simply aren’t familiar with how to use AI tools effectively, missing out on the benefits these technologies can offer.
Access also remains a challenge. Financial barriers can limit students’ ability to access reliable internet, or the devices needed to use AI tools. Without institutional support or exposure, these students may feel left behind as their peers increasingly incorporate AI into their academic routines. Recognizing these diverse perspectives, faculty can play a critical role in creating an environment that offers both guidance and respect for individual choices.
How faculty can support non-users:
To ensure equitable access to AI tools and digital literacy for all students, faculty must focus on reducing the barriers that keep these students from engaging with AI:
- Raising awareness and offering guidance: Some students may be unfamiliar with how AI can enhance their learning or may view it as intimidating. Faculty can introduce AI through low-stakes, optional modules early in the course, highlighting its practical benefits. For example, a brief demo showing how AI can simplify complex readings or assist with brainstorming can help demystify the technology. Faculty should frame AI as a tool that supports — not replaces — students’ creativity and critical thinking, allowing them to explore its potential without pressure.
- Expanding access and reducing barriers: Access to technology remains a significant challenge for many students. Faculty can advocate for campus-wide initiatives to provide resources like loaner devices, high-speed internet, and AI software in libraries and computer labs. Sharing information about free or low-cost AI tools can also reduce financial barriers. By working with administrators to expand access, faculty can ensure that all students have the opportunity to engage with AI when they are ready.
- Respecting ethical preferences while building foundational skills: Some students may avoid AI for ethical reasons or feel that using it conflicts with academic integrity. Faculty can honor these perspectives by offering alternative assignments that focus on essential skills like research, writing and critical thinking. These alternatives should ensure students achieve comparable learning outcomes while also building foundational digital literacy skills. This approach equips students with the tools they need to thrive now and prepares them for future engagement with AI, if and when they choose to explore it.
By helping non-users build confidence and capacity in navigating AI technology, faculty can prevent this group from falling behind, ensuring that all students, regardless of background, can explore AI’s educational potential.
Faculty as champions of AI-enhanced learning
Faculty in community colleges are uniquely positioned to help bridge the digital divide, both in terms of access and effective use of AI tools. The challenge is not simply about introducing AI but doing so in a way that empowers every student to engage meaningfully with these technologies. Here are broader steps faculty can take to further these goals:
- Faculty training and professional development: Faculty themselves must be well-versed in the capabilities and limitations of generative AI. Colleges should invest in faculty development programs that provide training on how to integrate AI into teaching, including ethical considerations and strategies for supporting diverse learners.
- Adaptive and inclusive teaching approaches: Faculty can adopt flexible teaching strategies that accommodate students at different stages of AI literacy. Differentiated assignments, targeted feedback and personalized learning activities help ensure that each student can engage with AI at their own comfort level. Meeting students where they are creates opportunities for growth while building confidence with AI tools over time.
- Partnering with institutional support: Faculty can work with administrators to advocate for broader AI literacy initiatives, including institutional investments in technology access, campus workshops on AI, and academic support services that specifically address the digital divide.
- Building a culture of responsible AI use: Finally, faculty should foster a culture of responsible and ethical AI use across campus, engaging students in conversations about AI’s broader societal implications, from reinforcing biases to ethical concerns about privacy and employment.
Generative AI represents both an opportunity and a challenge for community college students and faculty. While it has the potential to revolutionize education by making learning more personalized and efficient, its uneven integration threatens to exacerbate existing inequities. Faculty must take an active role in bridging the digital divide, supporting all three types of learners — effective users, developing users and non-users — in learning and enhancing the skills they need to thrive in an AI-enhanced academic landscape.
By doing so, they can ensure that every student, regardless of their starting point, is equipped to succeed in a future where AI literacy is key.
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Kate Grovergrys, MA, is a full-time faculty member at Madison College in Wisconsin. She develops professional development on topics such as inclusive teaching practices and artificial intelligence.
Tina Rettler-Pagel, Ed.D., is also a full-time faculty member at Madison College. She spends most of her time on projects and initiatives focused on digital learning, but also supports faculty in exploring and planning for the pedagogical opportunities of generative AI.
Grovergrys and Rettler-Pagel are members of the ITC Affinity Group. In addition, they are both participating in a research project for Madison College’s Institute for Equity and Transformational Change focused on leveraging AI for inclusive teaching and learning.
